Operation False Flag
by Dusios
Summary: Reading "The running rat" (by the same author) is mandatory to understand what is going far, Reimu Hakurei escaped the attempt on her life, but the Hakurei Border is extremely weakened by its guardian's wounds, and when dangerous outsiders sneak in Gensokyo, not even the Yakumo family is safe from a bloody vendetta.
1. Introduction

"This isn't normal. Stop them."

"Stop what?"

"The cicadas. Stop them." Repeated the girl. Her head covered with tainted bandages, she was suffering from a giant and horrible headache, but she was alive and still kicking.

"Oh? I though you would enjoy. You used to find them relaxing when you were a little girl. You were so cute back then..."

"I'm not a kid, and cicadas in the middle of winter isn't normal." Said the girl in a patronizing tone.

Usually, Yukari Yakumo wouldn't let anyone talk to her like that. In fact, she shouldn't even be here. But sometimes drastic happened, and Yukari, just like everyone else in Gensokyo, has to make sacrifices.

"All right. I'll leave you alone, I'm going outside, in the snow, taking my cicadas with me."

The mighty youkai left the room, closing the paper door behind her.

* * *

In the corridor, her servant was patiently waiting for her to notice her presence. As soon as the door was shut, Yukari's smile turned into a frown.

"Don't stand here just like that. Tell me everything !"

"I'm sorry." Ran bowed her head, trying to hide the irritation in her voice. "As far as I know, while Reimu Hakurei was out, several outsiders crossed the border. I don't know how many exactly, but I identified at least two human groups and one isolated youkai."

"And where are they?"

"It seems they went into hiding, which leads me to believe that everything was planned from the beginning."

"Anything noticeable?"

"The humans were armed. I believe they were probably soldiers of some kind."

"Don't you 'probably' me. Give me reliable facts. What about the lone youkai?"

"Hum, kimono. Maybe a zashiki warashi."

Yukari turned to Ran, and then she slapped the fox.

"I told you, no 'maybe', no 'I think', no 'probably' ! I don't want you guessing ! You're not perfect ! What if I trust you while you're wrong?"

"I'm sorry, my lady." Said Ran as she bowed her head.

"And drop that tone with me. You have a shikigami, use her ! Send her after that kimono youkai, and figure out what her deal is. I want to know if she has anything to do with this. Understood? Meanwhile, you're going to the human village. Invent something, but keep them on guard. I want those outsiders to be isolated, marginalized, and treated as outcasts. I want them to be as visible as a black spot on a white clothe. Am I clear?"

"That will be easy, my Lady, it seems that one of the villagers was murdered by an outsider a few days ago."

"I don't care how you do it. Now go !"

Bowing, the shikigami disappeared immediately, leaving a furious Yukari alone. Clicking her tongue, the youkai sage walked toward the kitchen. Soon, Reimu would be hungry.

Yukari wasn't really happy to be the one nursing the ungrateful miko back to health, but if she was quick to anger, she was luckily aware of that. Leaving the cold-blooded tactician in charge of the whole investigation was a good idea. Way better than taking care of that herself. She knew perfectly well that if she tried herself to discover the whereabouts of the outsiders, it would end up in a bloodbath. Yukari was many things, and being a sage was one of these. And a sage knows its limit.

"YUKARIII !"

Sighing to herself, the Great Youkai Sage returned to see Reimu, hoping the foul-mouthed maiden wouldn't ask too many questions about her wound. She walked in the girl's room one more time, closing the door behind her.

The paper door seemed extremely fragile, and yet, being under Yukari's magic, it would be able to withstand fire as well as many powerful spells.

* * *

While Yukari Yakumo was sacrifying her sleep and therefore her beauty to the clueless shrine maiden, Ran Yakumo was in the lost village of Mayohiga, trying to not lash out at her own servant out of frustration. Being slapped by her mistress was rare, and extremely humiliating, and to add insult to injury, Ran's own servant wasn't that eager to help.

"So I have to find that youkai? But how do I know which one is new and which one has been living in Gensokyo for a while?"

"Your cats," Ran said calmly, doing her best to resist the urge of slapping the young youkai around, "They know Gensokyo. As you said 'as if they made it themselves'. You can ask them."

"I dunno about that, Miss Ran, they've been unhelpful recently."

"Hmm? Well, they're not the only one being unhelpful. Now go find that youkai. I don't care how."

"Well, I'm not sure I can-"

"Find her or I'll suck your power off and make you clean Mayohiga by yourself." Interrupted Ran.

"I'm going ! Right now ! I'll find her, please rely on me !" Chen said, before turning away and jumping over a roof.

Sighing again, Ran Yakumo left Mayohiga, leaving the old village completely deserted.

* * *

While the fox was on her way, Akyuu, the living memory of Gensokyo, started noticing something unusual. At first, it was the silence. She didn't pay much attention to it, as she was absorbed in her reading. But when she heard the shouts, she understood that something was going on. As she closed her book and stood, she could hear a single person speaking, making some kind of speech. And when she opened the door, the village square was silent again, except for the whispering. And what Akyuu saw was an one-of-a-kind event.

The villagers were all gathered in the square, forming a compact crowd. For the small woman, it was impossible to either charge in the crowd and elbow her way in, or try to see what was going on in the middle of the square. Left outside, she could only listen. And what she heard made her extremely worried.

"She went with that outsider, right? Maybe that's his fault."

"And you would think being a Hakurei meant being protected."

"What the hell happened anyway? Look at her. Most youkai break the neck before... before the eating. But it looks like she was eaten alive."

Akyuu ran away from the crowd, and went to the school. With enough luck, maybe Keine was present. The girl didn't have any respect for the unpredictable half-beast, but being half-youkai, the teacher would be concerned by the situation. Hopefully concerned enough to actually do something. Like trying to reason the villagers before something stupid happened.

As she bashed the school's doors, Akyuu remembered a theory she read in a book from the outside world. According to that theory, it was extremely easy to manipulate a crowd, as the excitation was absorbed by its member, boosted, and sent back to everyone else. If 'warmed' enough, a crowd could easily turn into a lynch mob, ready to commit murders after murders? And as she ran around the school, checking every room, every closet, Akyuu remembered that horrible theory, and started thinking that it has to be stopped quickly.

And Keine Kamishirasawa was nowhere in the school.

"Talk about being a teacher when you just leave whenever you desire !"

The crowd opened as Ran Yakumo walked in the village, proudly showing her nine tails. Yakuri's servant was extremely smart, but as the Sage herself said, she was perfect, and the moment she walked in the crowd, she made a crucial mistake.

For her, the plan was simple : use the death of the other Hakurei girl as an excuse to set the Human Village against the outsiders, until she figured out what said outsiders were planning, while Chen was investigating the youkai's whereabouts. She expected her plan to produce results before her mistress' call.

Unfortunately, by laziness or stupidity, the strategist underestimated the outsiders. She expected them to be confused, lost in the nature. But that wasn't the case. They were already in the village.

"Greetings." Said the kitsune to the elder.

"Greetings to you, fox lady."

"I bear a message from the Youkai Sage, she asks your cooperation about-"

"I'm sorry, my lady," interrupted the old man, "but as you can see, we have a dead young lad to bury. We can offer an ear to your worries, but no cooperation."

For a second, Ran hesitated, calculating the possible outcome of different actions, until she decided the best course of action.

"Understood." She bowed her head slightly. "I will now return to my master, and carry your message. You have my condolences."

That was Ran's second mistake. Instead of calming the crowd, a youkai offering her condolence only angered them further.

"I accept your condolence. Good day to you, m'lady." The old man bowed, and, turning his back to Ran, started talking to another human.

Rejected, the fox bit her tongue in irritation, and walked away as the crowd dispersed.

After walking for a few minutes, the fox lady stopped in the middle of the road and turned around.

"I am here. Won't you come out for a talk?"

For a few minutes, the road was totally silent.

And then there was a gunshot, and a bullet hit Ran Yakumo in the back of the head.


	2. Initiative Lost

The fox lady turned around, apparently oblivious to the hole in her head.

"Come out now. I'm ready to talk."

The only answer she got was another bullet hitting her back. She turned once more and repeated herself.

"Come out, would you kindly?"

This time, there was two gunshots, and Ran's knees exploded. The woman fell on her back, her legs being torn and twisted beyond recognition. A human would have been dead with the first short, but the youkai took the gruesome wounds as if they were nothing but minor rudeness.

"I can do this all day, you know? You'll run out of ammo before I'm dead."

While talking, the fox was focusing her power to find out where the shooters were. She could feel someone being around, but each time she turned her head, the person seemingly moved to another location. And that quick movement worried the kitsune. Even if it was magic, she would have been able to follow the faint, to trace the position to the destination from the starting point. But in this case, it wasn't teleportation, it wasn't a fly. The person shooting her was just moving from one point to another, without exactly moving.

It was an unpleasant feeling. Like trying to find a lone thread on a curtain, with the thread evading your fingers as if it was some kind of snake. And while Ran was trying to pinpoint and identify the snake, her body was constantly fired at, bullets tearing her arms, digging holes in her chest, breaking the bones, until the body finally gave up and died.

* * *

Ran Yakumo stared at the paper. At first, it looked like a human silhouette, and now, it was filled with holes. The fox couldn't say what bothered her the most : the fact that her "body" has been destroyed, or the fact that her magical paper has two holes in the head, two in the arms, two in the legs, and three in the chest.

To put it in simpler words, it wasn't random shooting with a weapon bought from a convenience store. It was a deliberate attack, with a powerful weapon. Maybe even a magical weapon. No, it was certainly a magical weapon, because if it was the case, it would explain why the shooter was impossible to trace.

Holding the useless paper between her index and middle finger, Ran set it on fire with a simple spell. Far away, on the road leading to the village, her false body was burning, leaving no proof behind. It has been a brilliant idea of her to send a decoy rather than going herself. A youkai fighting a human so close to the village would have been a disaster. Even if she has been provoked first. And sacrificing a body was worth it, given the important informations she got on her unknown opponent.

Dropping the burning paper on the floor, the fox lady walked outside, greeting the snow with a sigh. Even through she just waited to be killed, keeping her false body functioning has been tiresome. Besides, she needed a change of scene to think. Burrowing her head in the snow, Ran started thinking.

First of all, the village. Uncooperative, but not hostile. It was always the case when an accident happened. Before soon, they would be friendly to her again. In that case, no action was required from her. Second, the outsiders. She was sure she saw a few new faces in the crowd. Best case, they just blended in. Worst case, they were already considered as part of the village, which could lead the whole village to react aggressively if one of them was singled out. In that case, further observation was required to determine the next step. Third, the attack. It happened outside the village, so it wasn't a villager. The attacker was single, therefore it wasn't an outsider. And finally, her body was destroyed, so either it wasn't a human, or it was using a magical weapon. But it wasn't a youkai either, she had trouble tracing it, but its smell was undoubtedly human. The conclusion was simple yet menacing. The outsiders entered in Gensokyo on purpose, probably obeying to a human wizard. Or a human with a magical weapon. Said person has been in Gensokyo for a while, enough to know where to attack, and when "Ran" would be most vulnerable.

Ran took her head out of the snow, and sighed again. Even through she learned a lot of things, her mission was still a failure, as the outsiders were already installed in the village. And if that wasn't enough, they were also more dangerous than expected. Her mistress definitely would not be amused. Her last hope to avoid a punishment was Chen. If her own servant could bring good results, she would be able to avoid Yukari's wrath. Of course, the old lady would know that the cat did the good job and that Ran failed her mission, but at least she wouldn't punish Ran.

"Do a good job, Chen."

Meanwhile, Chen was knee-deep into trouble. Using her own servants, she managed to find the lone youkai her master talked about, near the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and tailgate said youkai all the way to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost without showing herself, by using her cats. So far so good. Until the cats stopped communicating with her, and started fighting each other.

She decided to butt in and calm everyone, but the second the cats saw her, they all attacked her. The whole thing turned into a full battle, with Chen using her powers to stun the crazy cats and knock them unconscious. And of course, while she was fighting her own servants, the youkai disappeared, leaving Chen with a failed mission and no lead to the lone youkai's whereabouts.

The report left Ran Yakumo pensive. And also extremely irritated. So, when she heard Yukari Yakumo's voice calling for her from the Hakurei shrine, the fox lady was extremely nervous.

Yukari seemed in a better mood than last time, courtesy of Reimu who recuperated from her wound faster than the youkai sage expected.

"Report, Ran."

The fox lady bowed deeply, out of respect, and also to hide her anguish.

"Failures, my lady. The outsiders were already in the village when I arrived, and Chen lost the trail of the unknown youkai." She shivered, expecting the venerable Yakumo to shout at her.

But if the Purple Queen shouted, it was out of shock rather than by anger. "They were already in the village? So they knew exactly where to go?"

"It seems it is the case, milady."

For a moment, Yukari was silent, while smoking a pipe pulled out of a gap. "They're just humans, hu? So there's someone behind them, pulling the strings, and being damn well informed about Gensokyo."

"It is what I supposed, milady." Said Ran, still looking at the floor.

"Mmm... You will check who had, or has, relations to the Outside World."

"Yes, milady."

"And you said Chen lost her trail? Care to enlighten me on that one?"

"Her report was confused, but it seems her... agents turned on her."

"They... turned on her?"

Ran finally raised her head to face her master. And what she saw was most uncommon, the Purple Sage was silent, with her mouth agape.

"Yes, milady, according to Chen, they started fighting each other, and when she arrived herself to resume the tailing, they attacked her."

After a while, Yukari closed her mouth, and started spinning her pipe between her fingers while moaning to herself.

"... manipulation of madness? But no, there's already someone like that here...unless it was some kind of possession..attacking each other is madness, attacking the same target isn't...maybe soul replacement, but Chen would have noticed it...a power like that doesn't ring any bell, so it's not someone I know...I wonder if the outsiders are victims of that power too...some kind of charm, a 'do-as-I-say'... that would explain why they would willingly come here...and why they would attack Reimu..."

"Milady?"

"Ran !" Yukari Yakumo stared at her servant, and talked in a commanding tone. "Send Chen to spy on the village. Have her write down everything that happens, and I insist, EVERYTHING. Meanwhile, summon a few servants to guard Mayohiga, and go to the shrine in that mountain, ask a few questions."

"But, m-"

"But? Did I heard a 'but'? Ran, I'm not giving you suggestions here. I'm giving you orders. You obey, or I'll suck you dry until you don't have a single tail left."

"N-No ! I mean, Chen lost the trail near the Bamboo Forest, maybe I can-"

"I wished you told me that earlier!" This time, Yukari Yakumo yelled at her servant. "Changing plan. Chen still keeps an eye on the human village, and you still summon servants to guard Mayohiga. Meanwhile, you go to the moonfolks' mansion, ask questions, but don't be too nosy. Last thing I want is them learning that something is out of control. Also, if you see that unknown youkai, do NOT engage it. In fact, don't even be in the same room than it. Don't let it see you, hear you, or even smell you. If that youkai meets with the moonfolks, I want you to report EXACTLY what will happen. Including all conversations, on all topics. Even stuff that seems stupid or trivial. And prepare some food for Chen, she can't trust her cat familiars, she'll have to do it herself."

And with that being said, Yukari dropped her pipe in a gap that just appeared, before turning her back to Ran and returning to the last Hakurei.


	3. Killed the Messenger

The man looked at his reflection in the mirror, staring at an unamused face, covered with unwashed, greasy black hair, and sick, tired brown eyes. It was his face all right. Nothing fancy happened during the night. The man sighed in relief. He got almost killed yesterday, now he had to be careful. He blamed the fox's magic for that, but to be honest, he was also to blame, as her clearly underestimated the woman's resistance. If all Gensokyo inhabitants were as resistants as that woman, he would end up without ammo. And without his gun, he would be as good as dead.

The man washed his hands while wondering what kind of magic allowed one to burn her body after her death. Because the fox was clearly dead, he saw her eyes, and the way they went out of focus. When he ran to the body, he saw she stopped breathing. And when he tried to loot her corpse, the body suddenly burst into flames.

The man looked again at his reflection. He looked like a priest, and the idea briefly amused him, as it was truth. He was a godless priest, trying to change things, but still following a greater design that he believed in. He came in Gensokyo to change this small, closed world. For the better or for the worse. It was impossible, even for him, to predict what would happen. That pocket dimension, Gensokyo, could witness the beginning of a Golden Age. Or it could fall in flames, just like all the other worlds the man visited.

Leaving the bathroom, the man returned in his room, and started rummaging in the notes he retrieved when he murdered the Hakurei, until he found the pages he kept on the people from the bamboo grove. The reporter took an awful lot of notes, including direct quotations, and several personal comments. Most of those comments were of the "she's lying" sort. Clearly, the reporter never really trusted those merry folks, and sounded unable to even tell what they were. Earth spirits, insane humans, or youkai. Those people were mysteries, and the murderer even wondered if they intended to be sincere, or if that girl -Tewi- brought the poor man in, just to make fun of him.

He was still reading the notes when another man came in, and saluted the murderer.

"Sir, we are ready."

The godless priest considered the intruder for a moment. His reasons for all this were personals, but those men who came after he shot the miko weren't blackmailed, acting out of some personal philosophy, or even charmed by some spell. They came of their own accord. And thus they were scarier than whatever Gensokyo may hide.

"Good. But I'll repeat myself : don't be aggressive with those villagers. While they cannot directly support us, the abominations won't attack us if we're near the village. Keep good relations with them."

"Yes, sir ! Your orders?"

'That moron ignored everything I just said', thought the murderer. "Reco on the mountain. Classified as extremely hostile. Be careful."

"Sure thing, sir !" And the man left without waiting for a confirmation. As he closed the door behind him, the murderer could hear him muttering 'Colonel Ran Away', possibly as a retaliation for his apparent scorn. And yet he couldn't help scorning those fools, ignoring his warning, and treating that whole mission as if it was some kind of hunting safari.

"Heh... A safari." For the colonel who looked like a priest, the mission was nothing like a safari. For him, it was simply a bunch of cold-blooded murders. Not matter how much he tried to sugarcoat it, and no matter how pure his intentions were in the end, he murdered, and he would murder again. Granted, time erased most of his kills, but even if the bodies disappeared, he still remembered every one of them. That woman, in Alger. That man, in Oxford. His friend, at the University. He remembered killing that one often. So often...

Colonel Ran Away shook his head. There was a mystery here, and he did his best to resolve it. He could swear to Heaven, and whatever gods he might meet, he truly did all he could, and still what happened then was a mystery to him. There was simply no answer, just an encouragement to turn around and look forward.

And in front of him was Gensokyo. A strange land, where monsters look like girls and women. Even after all this time, the colonel Ran Away couldn't decide if those girls were waiting for an innocent to trick and torture, or if they were truly little girl.

Was it Gensokyo's true form? Something that can't be grasped, something that you cannot understand? Was it a land where innocence bloomed, or was it a twisted land hiding corruption and insanity under an pleasant appearance? He couldn't decide that. What he decided, however, was that he really needed a name. If he were to adopt "Ran Away" as his name, these men would not respect him, and everything would quickly turn into a total disaster, and eventually a massacre. In short, everything depended on him. So "Atlas" would do.

Looking at his reflection again, Atlas definitely thought he looked like a priest. It wasn't the face, nor the clothes, but something in the attitude who reminded him of a priest. With enough luck, he could eventually pass as one. The villagers weren't fools, but they couldn't get a good sight of him yesterday while that vixen woman passed, and for then, two outsiders look the same, especially if they aren't Asian. And they are Japanese, so they wouldn't get near him with his greasy hair.

Yeah, being a priest would be fine. Except for the "don't touch women" part, but he doubted the village has a brothel anyway.

* * *

While Father Atlas disguised himself, Chen convinced one of her friends, named Mystia Lorelei, to install her food stand near the Human Village. That way, she would be able to keep an eye on the village while eating warm food.

And while Chen was eating noodles while writing down anything happening in the village, Ran Yakumo was quickly leaving the Bamboo Grove. While things went smoothly for her servant, things sure didn't go smoothly for her. She just managed to catch a glimpse of that foreigner youkai before leaving. One could call her a coward, but she has orders to not let the youkai see her.

And given that this youkai stared at her even through she was disguised as a wild vixen, she quickly decided to be prudent and go away.

As she adopted a humanoid form again, Ran Yakumo tried to remember how that youkai looked like. Everything has been really quick, but there was two details who really shocked her : the kimono, and the horns. Or at least it looked like horns. Her memory was a bit blurry for some reason, but she sure remembered that bright kimono, as it looked like nothing else she saw. On Earth, anyway.

...

There was a simple though, merely an idea at first, but the idea grew and developed, and from a though, turned into an uneasy answer to a simple question as the truth became obvious, the pieces putting themselves together.

"Of course."

They weren't horns, but ears.

"Ran."

"I'm here."

"What's new?"

"That youkai approached the Eientei as you guessed, but I was unable to investigate any further, as it saw through my disguises."

"Worrying, and annoying."

"Besides, I suspect it used some kind of spell against me, as I have difficulties remembering how it looks like. I just remember it having huge rabbit ears on top of its head, and a shining kimono."

Still bowing her head, Ran waited for Yukari to say something, in vain. After several seconds, she raised her head, and saw her master smoking while staring at the youkai mountain.

"Lady Yukari?"

"Changing plans again. You take Reimu to Mayohiga. Take whatever she wants, I don't want her throwing a tantrum. Once Chen contacts you, send her to me immediately. I'll visit the Eientei myself. No, in fact, forget it, once Chen contacts you, tell her the surveillance mission is canceled, and keep her in Mayohiga, along with Reimu. Maybe they can play or something. Contact me, and tell me if there's anything strange in her report."

"Such as?"

"The outsiders, of course. I want to know if they're related to that lone rabbit."

"Anything else?"

"No. You go, right now."

"Yes, my Lady."

Yukari Yakumo opened a gap under her feet, leaving the Hakurei Shrine deserted. Ran Yakumo sighed in relief, and, walking down the corridor, penetrated in Reimu's room - only to be greeted with a pillow to the face.

"Dammit, I told you before, Yukari, I don't need no pampering ! Leave me alone or tell me what happened, because you're too protective, and I don't trust your 'you fell down some stairs' phony explanation !"

As the pillow fell from her face and touched the floor, the thousand-year old vixen was reasonably pissed.

* * *

A gap opened in front of the Eientei, dropping Yukari Yakumo on the ground. The Purple Sage took a few minutes to casually observe the place, looking for possible traps. There was an outer wall, made of bamboos trunks, sharpened to discourage any curiosity, leaving only a thin opening. The Eientei as a property was insanely huge, and the mansion itself took a large part of the Eientei. All around the area, you could see rice paddies, maintained by rabbits. In a remote area, was the storehouse, a simple oversize shed built to stay dry even during a storm. Rumours said that most of Eirin Yagokoro's medicines were kept here, but rumours also said that Eirin Yagokoro was a sadist lesbian maniac. The Mansion of Eternity was standing here, between a rice paddy and a bamboo shed, but just like a hair in the palm of a hand, the lunarian influence was obvious, as it looked nothing like the rest of the area. But Yukari Yakumo wasted no time looking at an already familiar scenery, and she walked in. She could've just dropped in that Yagokoro's office, but even through she refused to admit it, she needed answers, and popping out of nowhere in someone's house was usually and strangely considered rude.

As Yukari walked in the strange building, she bumped into someone -a man- who ignored her and quickly left the place. If the Mansion was located in the outside world, the entrance would have been considered as sober and a bit ragged, but in Gensokyo, it was considered as elaborated and extremely impressive, only beaten by the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The building's skeleton, the beams, was made with some dark wood, probably some ebony, while the rest of the building was a mix of beech and oak, creating a very disturbing impression to the newcomer as some area of the mansion gave the impression they were absorbing the light, fooling people into thinking it was already evening while it was in fact noon.

For Yukari, the building was as twisted as its inhabitants. Except for that rabbit walking toward her, she was the only one around who never tried to manipulate or blackmail anyone.

"Lady Yakumo? Can I help-"

Ignoring the moon rabbit with a sneer, Yukari walked past her.

"So, what can my humble self to to please the Youkai Sage?" Asked Eirin Yagokoro with tired eyes.

"Nothing, I just came to have a chat."

"You're too kind. Udonge is bringing us some tea, that should-" Eirin interrupted to yawn. "-should make me better."

"You don't look well," said Yukari in an obviously fake concerned tone, "is there something I can help with?"

"I'm afraid not, it's a personal problem. Family business." Answered Eirin, not noticing she said too much.

"I see... Anyway, have you heard the rumors?"

Eirin Yagokoro yawned again.

"Yes, I heard them. It seems your protégé, Reimu Hakurei, has a boyfriend or something like that, right? She ran away from that shrine?"

"No, I am talking about the trouble in the village." Yukari's smile disappeared at the mention of a possible boyfriend for Reimu.

Eirin yawned again. "It's been a while since I got someone from the village here. I do not know the news. Until that tengu newspaper arrives, of course."

Yukari didn't answered immediately. Something was bothering her, something related to Eirin's latest declaration, something contradicting a recent event. But she couldn't remember it, and when Reisen entered in the room with two cups of tea, Yukari lost the thread of her though, and forgot about the contradiction.

"Warm tea ! I used green one, that should wake you up, master." Said the smiling moon rabbit, carefully avoiding to meet Yukari's stare.

"Thank you, Udonge."

"Same here, rabbit."

Once the rabbit left, Yukari spoke again. "Are you sure you don't know anything? I mean, it's been quite a ruckus there."

"No... I mean, yes, I don't know..." Eirin Yagokoro was clearly dozing off, her head slowly falling on her chest.

"... Are you okay?"

There was no answer from the sleeping woman sitting in a chair. Yukari swallowed the burning tea, put the cup on the floor, and walked to Eirin.

"Hey, Yagokoro. Are you sleeping on me? Am I that boring?" Said Yukari, in a fake crying voice.

She poked Eirin and, seeing no reactions, shook the woman from the moon. Slipping from her chair, Eirin fell head first on the floor. The youkai sage wasted no time quitting the room, leaving the lunarian behind her, finding the moon rabbit waiting in the corridor.

"Your master is unwell, Reisen."


	4. All your friends are gone

Yukari Yakumo stared in the gap she just opened, and called her servant again.

"I'm here, my lady." Said the vixen from the other side of the gap.

"Ran, I don't see you. Come in front of the gap."

"My lady, I'm not sure it's-"

"Ran..."

"Yes."

The vixen walked in front of the gap, exposing herself to her master. It wasn't a glorious view. Rather than being classy and dignified, the Ran's clothes were partially burned, her hat was torn in pieces, exposing her ears, and her face was bruised. Still the vixen stood in front of the gap, looking at her feet like a child about to be scolded.

"Ran, I'll tan your hide for that. I told you to get Reimu to Mayohiga. Not to pick a fight with her."

"My lady, she's the one who-"

"Shut up and listen. Eirin's down, and there's something fishy going on here. I cannot get more any medicine, so don't get Reimu, Chen or you hurt. Understood?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Where's Reimu right now?"

The vixen hesitated.

"She's s-sleeping."

"Ran..."

"Okay, she's knocked out."

"Do I really want to know?"

"Well, it started as a pillow fight, and-"

"I do not want to know. If Chen is back, send her to the Hakurei Shrine. Tell her to fill it with all kind of barriers and protections. Even traps if she feels like doing so."

"Yes, Master, but Chen-"

"Meanwhile, set wards around Mayohiga. Reimu's safety and well-being is your priority. Your safety is second, and your well-being is going to drop once I'm back."

The vixen shivered. "I-I shall send Chen immediately once she's returned."

"Hang on, hang on. Chen's not back?"

Ran raised her face, and Yukari slightly jumped at her servant's demolished visage.

"No, my lady. Do I have to wait for her, or-"

"No. Don't leave Reimu alone. Wait for Chen, I'll look for her once I'm done here."

"Yes, my lady."

Yukari Yakumo closed the gap, and left the room where she isolated herself when Reisen came running. While she was talking to Ran, Reisen dragged Eirin in the entrance, and was pressing her hands on the lunarian's chest, in some kind of strange cardiac massage. Yukari briefly remembered witnessing one of those, while she was visiting the outside world. An old man walking next to her suddenly collapsed, and a young man quickly arrived and began doing many complicated things, like moving the arms up and down, rolling the old man on his side, and finally calling an ambulance.

But she had to admit that she never expected the moon bunny to actually know something about medicine. And while she'd rather die than admit it, seeing the almighty Brain of the Moon lying on her back, being taken care by her abused pet was something Yukari never expected to see.

"Come on, Master, just wake up already !"

As the rabbit tried again and again to revive her master, her voice sounded more and more desperate. And while the rabbit slowly broke down and cried, shedding tears on her master's body, Yukari just stared. Eventually, the rabbit stopped trying, and just collapsed on Eirin's body, crying openly. This is when Yukari interfered.

"Rabbit."

Reisen ignored her and kept crying.

"RABBIT."

Yukari was still ignored.

"Reisen."

This time, the rabbit stopped crying and looked at Yukari.

"What do you want?"

"Don't you notice there's something wrong?"

Reisen's anger was immediate.

"YES ! There's something wrong with you ! I left you alone with master, and now she's dead ! How dare you even-"

Yukari's answer was swift and brutal.

"Your master is not dead, stupid animal. Watch your tongue before I rip it out with my own hand."

Reisen's anger turned into surprise as her eyes went from Yukari to Eirin and from Eirin to Yukari.

"M... Master's not dead?"

"Of course not, rabbit."

"Then what's the problem? What's wrong with master?"

"Can't you tell? That's your specialty here."

Hearing that, Reisen relaxed a bit, dropped her shoulder, breathed deeply, and lowered her head until her face was touching Eirin's face.

"Mmm... Smells like soporific. Not chloroform, that one is a gas, and she drank it, so that's not it..."

Reisen kept mumbling for a while, until Yukari finally interrupted her.

"Rabbit, is your master in danger?"

"It's just soporific, but it's also an overdose, even by her standard, she'll be in danger for a while," the rabbit stood to face Yukari, "there's a risk, and I'm no expert. I must bring her back to the moon." While talking, Reisen crouched and grabbed Eirin's body, holding her fireman-style. "The Lunar Capital has the technology and the experience to-"

"You're not leaving Gensokyo."

"Of course I am," said the moon bunny, walking past Yukari, still carrying Eirin over her shoulder, "because Master might recover, but there's also a risk the poison goes to her brain, and if her genius is affected by the poison, she will turn crazy if she-"

"Reisen." The rabbit stopped instantly, perturbed by Yukari's soft tone. As well as the mention of her name, that the bunny finally noticed. "Look around you, and tell me that everything is normal here."

Still carrying her master, the former pet of the moon sisters slowly looked around, watching the paddies, the storehouse, the bamboo fence surrounding the Eientei.

And she said, "I don't see anything unusual."

Hearing that, Yukari's mood dropped.

"Moon bunny, tell me, where is everyone? Where is that princess you protect? Where are all the rabbits?"

Reisen's ears perked, and she looked again. And she saw it : the deserted paddy, the abandoned storehouse, and the partially destroyed fence. And she understood that there was nobody but her master, Yukari Yakumo and herself in this place. The rabbit realized something, but before she could scream a warning to the Youkai Sage, an order took over her mind.

Yukari saw the bunny changing. It was extremely subtle, a slight shiver on the shoulders, a small twitch of the eyebrows, just before Reisen turned around to face the sage.

The lunatic bunny dropped Eirin, and raised her index at Yukari, imitating a weapon. Yukari dropped in a gap as Reisen shots several bullets, transporting herself behind the rabbit. The magical bullets hit the mansion and exploded, destroying the entrance and sending splinters all over the place. Yukari answered by stabbing Reisen's back with her umbrella, tearing the clothes and causing slight damage to the bunny. Said bunny answered by jumping forward while spinning on herself, and shot more bullets at Yukari.

"You're shooting at your own master?"

Yukari opened another gap, this time under Eirin Yagokoro's body, the magical tear swallowing the genius' corpse, and opened her fan as the bunny's bullets were quickly getting closer. She would need to focus, and the fan was there to help.

Not a single bullet touched or even grazed the purple sage. Another gap opened in front of

Yukari, sending them back at the rabbit's face. Her face didn't even flinch as the bullets exploded around her. The rabbit fell from the sky, one hand still pointing at Yukari, while her other arm was uselessly dangling at her side. But before she could shoot again, the Purple Sage moved again, this move levitating toward the bunny and, not giving her any time to react, turned around and hit Reisen's good arm with her umbrella just as the rabbit's feet touched the floor. There was a small breaking noise as Reisen was thrown on the floor, but she quickly recovered and rolled away from the youkai, apparently unaware of the fact that her arms were now broken, and that such a barrel roll would normally be impossible. The rabbit stood again, this time with both arms dangling uselessly, and she tried something different. Instead of shooting bullets, she raised her head and closed her eyes. Yukari didn't need any warning to understand what the insane rabbit was up to you. One more time, she used a gap to go right behind Reisen, and one more time, she stabbed the rabbit in the back with her umbrella as the rabbit shot a beam from her eyes, this time destroying a large part of the mansion. The rabbit felt the stab, but didn't reacted, slightly irritating Yukari. Finally, the purple queen decided to end it and, pulling her umbrella out of the wound, she kicked Reisen's broken arm.

"Ah !" Screamed Reisen as she fell to her knees. But Yukari wasn't stupid enough to fall in a trap, and she quickly flew away from the rabbit. But Reisen wasn't moving. The bunny was on her knees, both her arms broken, and was bleeding from the wounds that the youkai sage inflicted.

"Well," said Yukari, "you're out for now. Be happy I'm a nice person, a thousand years ago, I would have killed you for that." And then the purple sage opened a large gap just under her feet and disappeared again, leaving a broken rabbit in the middle of the deserted Eientei, in front of a partially destroyed building that used to be a mansion.

* * *

When Yukari dropped in front of her home, Ran immediately ran out of the house.

"Lady Yukari, how nice to see you again."

"Yes." Said Yukari as she walked in the entrance without even looking at her servant. "You got Eirin?"

"Yes, milady, I put her in the second guest room."

"Wonderful." Said Yukari as she put away her umbrella. "Now, Ran, if I remember right, I said I would... Ran?"

"..." Instead of looking away with her usual scared expression, the vixen was staring at Yukari's bloody umbrella with an intense look.

"Oh. I ran into a little trouble on my way. More importantly, is Chen back?"

"... No. Not yet."

"I see you're worried about her. Take it easy already, that girl is more powerful than you think."

"I know, milady," said Ran, finally lowering her eyes and looking at the ground, "I just can't help. I know she's powerful enough to probably raze the human village, but at the same time, she's extremely naive. I'm afraid she might be tricked."

"She's just late, Ran. She's not being killed as we're speaking. Now then, while Reimu and Eirin are sleeping, we have unfinished business. I want you in the cellar in five minutes."

Ran started shaking.

* * *

While Yukari was making sure her servant would never disobey her again, something very strange happened in the Eientei. At first, it looked like a bubble of pure darkness, slowly inflating, until it was as big as a man. Once it reached its maximum size, it started deflating until it totally disappeared. But in the meanwhile, something changed. Namely, a tall woman appeared where there was previously nothing but dirt. The woman herself was not that impressive, she wasn't that tall, and she wasn't as beautiful as the legendarily pretty princess from the moon Kaguya Houraisan, but she gave the impression of being more feminine than the young-looking woman. Maybe it came from her highly-decorated but oversized kimono, or maybe it came from the scarf that she tied around her head, covering most of her hair, except for the exceedingly long ponytail that reached the ground and followed the woman like a snake. But the woman had things to do, so many things to do. Like helping a poor soul in pain.

She slowly walked to Reisen, who was still on her knees, panting and bleeding, her arms dangling uselessly, like pieces of meat in a butchery. If someone could witness the woman's approach, it would have looked like she was levitating rather than walking, dragging her impossibly long hair as she walked, keeping it clean despite the woman walking in the dirt and in the mud.

Finally, the woman arrived in front of Reisen.

"Duōme kěbēi de shìqíng kàn dào de." She said.

Slowly, the insane rabbit raised her eyes until they met the woman's. There was a brief unspoken communication between the two, until Reisen finally moved. She stood in front of the woman, and, still without showing any emotion, stared at the unknown youkai.

"Ràng wǒ lái bāng nǐ." Spoke the woman, while gently touching Reisen's broken arms.

There was no light, no impressive magic, but after a few seconds, the moon rabbit's arms were normal again. But the woman's arms were twisted, the bones broken, and her kimono sleeves became redder as the open fractures were causing an insane amount of pain.

"Wǒ huì chéngdān nǐ de tòngkǔ." Said the woman, showing a brave smile despite the sweat appearing on her forehead.

"..." Reisen didn't answer. Her eyes were still focused on the woman, and there was no expression on her face. What happened to her when Yukari asked too much was still in action.

"Nǚ'ér." The woman moved her broken arms, and pulled the mute rabbit in an horrifying hug, the broken, bare bones rubbing against the rabbit. A normal person would have panicked, but Reisen didn't. In fact, she didn't felt anything. Her mind being gone, both by the orders and the pain she received by the hand of the sage, she was as good as dead.

And thus, she didn't notice that the woman's wounds were already healing, at an impossible rate, even for a youkai.

* * *

"Oh, what now?" Yelled Yukari. "Stop crying Ran, I think someone knocked at the door."

"I-I-I'm sorry-"

"I said shut up !" Said the purple benevolent sage as she listened with attention. "Umm? Well, I was wrong. Now, where was I?"

Yukari looked over the different tools, until she settled on one.

"Okay, Ran, now we're getting serious, I'll use this one no-" She dropped the tool, and listened again. This time, she was sure, there was a noise. "Okay, Ran, get your clothes back. Someone penetrated Mayohiga."

The youkai quickly flew out of the cellar, ready to get her revenge on the poor soul who dared to disturb her, leaving her crying servant alone. The purple sage flew and flew, leaving the cellar, flying through her house, and finally stopped in the sky, towering over the whole lost village.

"There you are." She said as she spot the intruder. With a mischievous smile, the youkai opened a gap in the air, and went it, appearing right behind the intruder.

And then her smile dropped. She expected some lost youkai, but the intruder was instead a human, and a very boring one. He was dressed almost entirely in black, with just his collar being white.

"A priest?" Wondered Yukari, until she noticed the metallic briefcase the man was carrying, his other hand in his pocket. The purple sage tapped the man's shoulder, and savored that small jump as the man quickly turned around, almost sending his briefcase in the youkai's face.

"Welcome to Mayohiga. What are you doing here?"

"Ha! Okay! Well, at least I'm in the right place."

"Oh?" The youkai tilted her head. "There was a reason for you to be here precisely?"

"Well, yeah. I came to deliver a present to some chick named Yukari." Said the man, looking around, his hand still grasping the metallic briefcase.

"A chick..." Mumbled Yukari.

"Sorry, was it you?"

The youkai sage exploded. "YES! IT'S ME! WHAT DO YOU WANT?! TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT OR GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT OF MY TURF!"

"AAAAAAAAAH OH GOD I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I just wanted to give you something." The man took his hand out of his pocket, holding two items in his hand. The first was a silver fob watch, the second was a small rope, no longer than a hand, and as large as two fingers. The man quickly span the watch around his index, and presented Yukari with the rope. "That's the thing."

"Hu?" Said Yukari as she examined the little thing. It looked like a normal item, but for a youkai such as Yukari, it was somehow threatening.

For a while, the both of them stayed like that, the man holding the rope between his index and his major, and Yukari staring at it, the man unwilling to touch the youkai, the youkai unwilling to get close to the rope.

And they stayed like that, until Ran dropped from the sky, landing loudly behind the man, effectively trapping him between the orange vixen and the purple sage. That is, if everything went as planned. In other words, it failed. When he heard the noise, the man jumped again and, showing his back to Yukari, threw the rope at Ran.

Meanwhile, at the Eientei, the unknown youkai, alone again, started chanting.

"Qiújìnle wǒ de zuì, liú xià nín de jiānyù zài wǒ de yāoqiú. Xiūxí cóng nǐ de tòngkǔ."

At soon as the last words left the woman's mouth, things changed in the world. A mental link was established between a fool man locked in the deepest cell, and a simple vessel. An abomination stood, unaware of any change in its environment.

"Shāo zhège dìfāng !"

Burn the place. For the abomination, it would be like killing two birds with one stone, and so it started walking, blowing steam as it breathed, shivering as if it was locked in a fridge instead of walking in the Eientei, its teeth chattering.

"S-s-s-so cold..."


	5. Right hand captured

Ran Yakumo left the room quietly, careful not to make any noise. She closed the door and, walking down the corridor, arrived in the living room where Yukari was busy observing the remains of the apparently innocent rope that the clergyman brought. It was obvious it was not some just a rope, for as soon as Ran cut it (Yukari would have to remember to stay away from these tails), it dropped Chen before burning.

"Master, Chen is sleeping. She will recover quickly." Said Ran as she knelled in front of the youkai sage.

"Mmm." Said the almighty youkai sage in her infinite wisdom, clearly trusting her minion with informations about what happened to her minion's own minion.

"Master, what happened?"

Yukari sighed. "Ran, remember the incident with the rocket? When that woman from the Moon interrupted my invasion?"

"Of course." There was no way she could forget the sight of her mistress on her knees, begging for forgiveness. Each time Yukari would abuse her, she would remember that scene in details, her mistress' delicate dress getting dirty, her hands and knees touching the ground. Truly a moment of history to be remembered fondly.

"That woman tied us with something she called femtofiber fabric, and claimed the lunarians used it to seal Lord Daikoku."

"But you said it was the same as the shimenawa, right?"

"So you do remember it."

Yukari crossed her hands and looked at Ran, as if she was waiting for her. For a moment, the vixen struggled. And when she realized.

"You mean that rope was a shimenawa? But that man wasn't a priest, he can't use it."

"Ran, Ran, Ran..." Yukari sighed. "I said that the fabric the lunarians are using is similar to the shimenawa. I'm not saying they're exactly the same thing. For example, the shimenawa that god in the mountain is using is made out of rope, which is made out of wood. What that lunarian woman used back then was different, it was metallic. Conclusion?"

Ran was silent as she started thinking. Yukari called a rope a femtofiber fabric , not a shimenawa. Therefore, she saw a difference between the two of them. Moreover, the human was clearly not a Taoist priest, not even Buddhist, therefore sealing youkai was impossible for him. But there was a hole in that deduction : the man was clearly human, and after seeing that lunarian woman, Ran knew there was no way she would rely on a "tainted" human, even if it was to do her dirty work. But the fabric came from the Moon, that was obvious. But lunarians are too arrogant. Therefore... Therefore...

"He stole it from the lunarians?"

Yukari jumped at Ran and slapped before the vixen could react.

"NO! No. Use your head, fool!" Yelled Yukari. "The lunarians are living on the Moon, hiding from the Outside World. That human is from the Outside World. There is no way he could have walked to the Lunar Capital. Think again."

Ran bit her lip and started thinking again. The fabric came from the Moon, there was no possible mistake. And yet a human from the Outside World has it. Theoretically, it was impossible.

"Well," said Yukari, "while you're focusing on it, I'm going to talk a bit with our guests. Don't you dare give me a half-baked answer."

The Yakumo cellar was a strange room. The rest of the mansion was typically Japanese in design, even more than the Eientei mansion. The cellar being the only exception, as it was of European design. For the gap youkai, a room like that, protected from heat and cold, was perfect to store the various alcohol she kept, either as gifts or as trophies from the fools she outsmarted. The lack of opening meant that the air was warm but dry, but it also meant that staying for too long in the room would cause headaches. Nothing strong enough to cause pain to a youkai, but a human would be uneasy after a while.

The human she kept here, tied to a chair, clearly wasn't suffocating, but he wasn't looking healthy either. His hair turned white, with only a few one here and here who kept their original color. The man's face, pleasant but average before, was now distorted and warped from the horrible treatment he received, as his skin turned gray from the lack of sunlight. It was as if he has been locked in that room for years, and yet a simple statement defied logic, as he got captured only ten minutes ago by Yukari Yakumo, right after he tried to giver her that sealing fabric, only to panic and try to attack Ran when he recognized her.

"You're still alive. You're resilient enough to deserve my attention, human."

The husk of a man raised his face, meeting the youkai's eyes. His stare was unchanged, cold and calculating, but his eyes were sick and tired. The purple sage walked to the prisoner and stared him down while smiling.

"That thing you used. Did a huge blond woman gave it to you?"

The prisoner didn't answer. He just kept on staring at the youkai with the same cold eyes.

"Not answering? Fine then, I'll guess." Said Yukari, while pulling her umbrella out of nowhere. "Now then, I'll take my first guess ... here!" And while talking, she stabbed the prisoner's foot with the blade located at the point of her umbrella.

"!" The man groaned as Yukari pulled out the bloody blade. From calculating, his stare became hateful.

"That is a nice look you have here. If you were a bit younger and less foolish, I might have used you as a lover. Maybe I could have kept you for several weeks. Pity I have no love for fools. Now, I'm going to ask something else. Are you the one who shot my dear miko?"

The prisoner didn't answer, but that slight twitch of the nostrils was a giveaway for an observant youkai.

"I see. I have to give you my thanks for this. My servant and her can't stand each other, and that house is going to be a living hell thanks to you."

Still smiling, Yukari spinned her umbrella again, pressing the blade on the prisoner's cheek, right under his left eye. She appreciated the suppressed terror in the man's eyes, that intoxicating feeling of power. And then the blade moved, cutting the man's face. And she slashed his face. And she slashed it again. And again. He groaned at first, but before soon, the man screamed as the youkai was disfiguring him.

"Raise your head, buffoon."

The prisoner obeyed, and Yukari appreciated her fine work. What used to be a man was now a mutilated, pathetic old abomination, a shadow of his former self. One of his eyes has been blinded during her frenzy, and the man was definitely terrified. The youkai sage liked many things, from ice cream to one-night stand in the Outside World. And yet, when she compared these pleasures with the very simple pleasure of crushing her prisoner's hubris and willpower, everything else was bland.

"Now, you are going to tell me what you were thinking when you shot my miko."

"'t'was t'let academy i-in..."

"One more time. Clearly."

"I-it was t-to weaken t-t-the border and let Academy in."

"Interesting. Who gave you the shimenawa?"

"Hu? I-I don't know, I swear!"

Yukari waved her umbrella, moving it left and right. The man's only eye was focused on it, waiting for the blade to strike again, and the youkai loved that.

"And yet you knew how to use it..."

"It was already like that! I was just told to bring it to you!"

"Fascinating. Last question, who hired you and what is your master's plan?"

"I don't know! I swear to God, I don't know! I'm just doing things, I don't know the whole picture!"

"Then you are useless."

And with that, Yukari Y̸ak̶umơ s̶̸t͏a̕b͡͝b̨͠ę̢̀d͡ ̴her͝ ͢͏p̴̛r̡͡i͢s̀҉̡o̸͜͠n̴ér̴̷͠ ̢̛r̛i͜g̸̴h̛͜͠t̀̕ i̢͢͞n ̡t͠h̡͠e͜ ̢͏c͡h̶ę͘s̶t. T̛͏̢h̶̶͜e̵̛ ̡̨́m̧̡a͡ņ͟͟͞ ̢͟d͟͡i̸̛͜ę̴́͡͠ḑ̷̷̧ ̷́͟i̢̡͝n̨͜s̨̧͝t̷͘͢͢á̴͘n͘͢͠͠͡t̴̸̨̡͜l͘͏҉͝ỳ͜҉.̸̛͟͡

A͠͝҉̶n͘͞d͢͜͡ ̨̛w͏͜͢͏i̶͝t̸̵̷̡h̡͟͡͞ ̶̧͜͝ţ̡́͞h̸͝ą̵͏̴̧t̵̛͘͜ , Yu̧͢͡k̸̢͢a͘r̸͝ì͢ Y͡aķ̴ùm҉o̸̴ s͡tab҉beḑ t̕h͡e man, but he jumped backward, trying to avoid the blade. It was in vain, and the youkai's umbrella's pointy end penetrated the man's chest, scraping against the ribs, and grazing the heart. Not enough to kill him instantly, but deep enough to cause an important bleeding that would lead to his death. Just another wound would have been enough to kill the prisoner, but Yukari was already bored and wanted to leave quickly and get something to eat. She got her answers, now all she had to do was manipulating the witch to do the rest for her and take it easy.

She opened another gap under her prisoner, severed the ties and let him slide in her gap. Already he was losing blood in her gap, tainting her world, tainting her body. Finally, out of patience, and out of laziness, the gap youkai spat her bloody victim in Misty Lake.

On the beach, a woman was standing, as straight as a pole, waiting for the man to reappear again. He would be dying, heavily wounded, but the woman knew exactly what to do and how to heal him.


	6. Conclusion

The six men entered in the Eientei, taking care not to make any noise. They were all armed and ready, two of them using submachine guns while the four others were using assault rifle. They were wearing riot gear, save for the weapons, and all knew that the armor offered more protection than the kevlar vest they were usually using, but it wasn't a consolation for the loss of mobility. But luckily, the excitation compensated the frustration. After all, it was the first time they went out for something else than collecting informations. They've been warned before that the contract would be long, possibly several months, but no matter how experienced someone is, the first phase is the most annoying one, as negligence would surely leads to death once the real operation started.

The men quickly moved, with the point man ahead, followed by his teammates, the rest of the squad behind him in a triangle formation. There was supposedly no risk at all, but given the current state of the Eientei, they decided not to test their luck. Just in case whoever did the damage was still around.

Before soon, trouble erupted, and they were unprepared

* * *

The woman leaned over the poor body she just dragged out of the lake. He was still alive, but unconscious, both from the torture he received as well as being thrown in cold water. If the blood loss failed to do it, then the exposure would surely kill him. Unfortunately, the woman's hands were ill-suited for manual labor, and even if she could, the etiquette would never let her carry a man. Not that she ever worried for the etiquette anyway, but even turning into a monster doesn't remove your habits. She briefly remember a former friend of her, a man who turned into some half-beast after an angry god cursed him. No matter how stupid it sounded, he always insisted on wearing proper clothes. Over his fur. The whole sight was hilarious, and at the same time a bit depressing.

Luckily, she was never really alone. If there was a need for it, she could easily conjure the Man In The Prison to assist her. He was too hot-headed to be really helpful, and his insanity would make him useless if the task was too complicated. Otherwise, there was also the moon rabbit from the Eientei. She maintained most of her sanity, even while being under the woman's influence, which was an asset, as it allowed the moon rabbit to fulfill advanced task while never questioning orders.

Unlike that half-dead fool who went ahead and got captured by the gap woman.

* * *

"Hey, Ran. Rings a bell?" Called Yukari, as she was swinging a silver watch, sitting in the living room.

In front of her, at the same table, was sitting her servant, coldly breaking open the man's suitcase. "Yeah, that's the vampire's maid's watch. What about it?"

"Nothing. I just wonder why our guest had it in his pocket."

The suitcase opened silently, displaying a bloody mess of several metallic pieces. "I don't know. Maybe you should've asked him before killing him." While answering, Ran began to place the pieces in order, on the table.

"Are you criticizing me, servant?" Said Yukari as she started to spin the watch.

"Not at all, you are as wise as you are patient, great youkai sage." Answered Ran, still focused on the pieces. It looked like a bunch of garbage tin, but she has the conviction it was useful somehow. Otherwise, the fool wouldn't have brought it.

"You're becoming sassy, Ran. Maybe I'll get your tan once I'm done explaining the black and white what to do with that." Playfully said the purple sage.

She got the one responsible for Reimu's wound, and to her relief, it was just a human. Surely that inept wizard from the forest could take care of whatever accident would happen.

What kind of world would it be if Yukari Yakumo, who helped creating the Hakurei Border, was to fix every little problem in Gensokyo by herself?

* * *

When Atlas woke up, it was to his great surprise, as he was in an unusual place. Maybe he was sent back in time further than he expected.

He tried to move, and managed to roll on his side, slowly but methodically scanning the area for any kind of landmarks. In vain, as the room he was in was devoid of any decoration. It was clearly Japanese, so he was in Gensokyo. That was the first thing he was sure about. The second thing he was certain of, was that trying to seal Yukari by himself has been a stupid idea. His arrogance got the best of him, and as a reward for that, he's been tortured, and got send back in time. The most damaging thing for his ego was the fact that his mistake was a lack of preparation, and a lot of arrogance. Clearly, his disguise as a priest was half-baked, Yakumo never fell for it. And he was lucky that the vixen didn't recognized him, otherwise Yakumo would've tortured him until he was totally broken, mind and body.

"Hang on, it's possible to check..." He raised a shaking hand to his face, and touched it. On his face, he could feel the wounds that the youkai inflicted to him. Which means that this was the present, and not the past. "Which means..."

Which means that he was burned -not literally- by the Yakumo. Tricking her was now impossible, as she would instantly recognize him. But on the bright side, she's been arrogant enough to get rid of him before pressuring him for details.

His arrogance has been his loss here, and led to him being "burned" and to the shikigami being recovered by the Yakumos, but he learned something crucial about Yukari, her arrogance, and her underestimation of human resilience. How typical from supernatural beings.

* * *

Finally, Atlas stood up, and observed his surrounding with interest.

It was a Japanese room, that was obvious. Two door, on the two opposites walls. If it weren't for the total lack of decorations, he would be betting on a mansion, as a lot of effort went into the building. It clearly wasn't a shed built in the middle of the wood, even through something was familiar. It was with some unease that he noticed the real lack of furniture. He was dropped on the bare floor, without even a mattress or a blanket. Well, at least that explained why his back was a bit sore.

That didn't explained why the door was locked. Maybe it was another trick of that Yakumo, pretending to release him while she was still holding him prisoner. He pinched his arm, briefly enjoying the sharp pain as a proof that he wasn't again lost in some twisted limbo, slowly wasting his time while trying to find a way out of Yukari's demented labyrinth.

He turned around, and tried the other door, only to have it open by itself, with the woman coming in. She walked straight and stopped in the middle of room. Then she took a deep breath, and turned her face toward the man.

She was unknown to him. In fact, even through he met quite a lot of people in Gensokyo, he would easily bet his left eye that he never saw her before, and he was right. The woman was ridiculously tall, with black hair and brow eyes. Looking at her reminded the man of the princess at the Eientei, there was definitely something common between these women, if it weren't for that one's height, and her extremely ostensible kimono.

"I do hope you will find the pardon for me to not speak." Said the woman, with a very strange expression and a horrible accent. She was obviously smiling, but her eyes were focused on the man, staring at him, never blinking.

Atlas shrugged. "Say what you need to say, I'll listen."

The woman's smile grew wider. "It is simpler if I tell you of a small story..."

* * *

One day, there was a man. He looked like a very normal man, he paid his taxes, loved his wife, had a family. It was a boring and yet satisfying life, and the man was happy, but in his heart, he wished for adventure to find him. He wanted to see the stars from afar, he was sick of the city, and even through he loved his family, he selfishly wanted to be alone. And the man died, with his wish unfulfilled. He lived his small, boring life until the bitter end. He was called a loving husband and an perfect father. He was even quoted as a model to be followed, even through he hated his life.

Very surprised, the man was, when instead of the emptiness he expected in the afterlife, came a young girl in rags with dirty silver hair. She said nothing, and just touched him.

When the man opened his eyes, he was a young boy again, with a whole life before him. And just with a spin of the wrist and some time magic, the man's wish was fulfilled. He lived as he desired, listening to his own desires, worrying family, friends, teachers, and even enemies. When the man died, he died unhappily, crying over his foolishness. He fulfilled his own desires, but ignored the desires of his family, of his friends, and as a result, his parents perished miserably. When he saw the girl in rags, the man begged, and asked for her opinions. He asked if it was alright to ignore his own selfish desires, or if he was supposed to follow them. The girl didn't answer, for she was nothing.

When the man lived for the third time, he looked for answers. Why was he allowed to live for so many times? All his life, he looked for answers, from gods, from priests. He traveled and walked, and when death came, he was still unsatisfied. The girl came again, and he tried unsuccessfully to run away from her.

When he woke up, he was not a young boy anymore. He was almost a man, still learning and studying. He was confused. Who wouldn't be? Two times he woke up as a kid, and the third, he was almost adult. Of course, he wondered and asked what was the point of this, and nobody could answer him. Eventually, that incarnation killed himself out of frustration, leaving one more time his family behind him. However, this time, the silver-haired girl talked, and even if it was just a single line, it was enough for him to have a purpose in living. She told him to study in Cardiff.

The man didn't ask any question, he just obeyed. Maybe, he thought, there was a greater purpose in that. So, for that reason, the man obeyed. He went to the university, became a successful tycoon, and died happily. But it wasn't all. The girl spoke again, this time telling him to leave his country, and to receive a military training.

And so did the man. Or rather, so tried the man. The first time he tried to leave his home country, he got captured and interrogated, before being executed. The second time, he was betrayed and drowned in the sea. The third time, he decided to wait several years before attempting to leave, but then a really sad event happened. The details are unknown, but one of the man's friends was involved in a strange case, and, as a result, the country turned into a battleground, ultimately leading to the man sneaking out of his country. Finally free, the man was suddenly unsure what to do, and eventually got killed. As a punishment for his stupidity, the girl in rags send him back in time just as he was killed, and he got to die again and again. Physically, he endured death, and psychically, he endured the traumatizing event of dying, several times, slowly eroding his mind.

And then he-

* * *

"Enough."

The woman smiled again. "This is just legend. The man who came from death."

Atlas, however, was not laughing at all. "How do you know who I am?"

"The girl out of time, was not giving order. She repeats what I say. You obey me, not by yourself. That is what I mean."

"Okay. What do you want me to do, then?" Answered the murderer, still frowning.

Still staring at him, the woman stretched her long arms. "I do have one problem. I used a femtagril from the moon to capture the Yakumo cat."

"Hang on," the foreign word irritated Atlas a bit, "femtagril?"

"I do not know how to pronounce it. I captured the cat, and have it given to you. I come out of the shadow to ask why you did that."

"Oh." Well, at least, he knew what everything was about. "An interrogation."

"Yes." Said the woman, and she wasn't smiling any more. "I give order to have you being trained, and you act like an incompetent imbecile. I want to know why."

Atlas groaned. He was aware he was subject to a constant watch, as the raggedy girl seemed to be aware of his flaws, but he never thought he would be interrogated on his actions before his death. "Well, you see-"

"Direct to the point. I do not speak perfectly, but I understand."

"All right then. I was not sure how what the rope was, but I could feel some power, so I decided to try my luck. Yukari Yakumo has been mentioned in the interviews I made while I pretended to be a journalist, but I was unsure if she was a possible threat or not. But I underestimated her servant, I thought her paper doll's destruction would've affected her, maybe even wounded her. Unfortunately, she wasn't, and I ended up caught between two fires, and I panicked."

During his speech, the man of many names alternated between talking quickly and talking slowly, trying to see if it confused the woman.

"You poor fool, dying a hundred time did not nothing to utterly destroy your mind. I should be surprised that you are still able to panic. Maybe I should break you myself, but I do not want a slave unable to move unless ordered to do so."

This time, she broke eye contact with the man, and opened to the other door. Instead of a closed corridor, the man could see the bamboo forest.

'Ha, so we are really in the mansion of eternity,' he thought.

"For a man able to panic, one can expect him to care about men he was tasked to lead. So they will pay for your failure."

The man with many names then heard the gunshots.

* * *

"I don't understand, Lady Ran." Complained Chen as she was sitting on the steps.

"What is it, Chen?" Said the vixen as she was cleaning the cellar's floor, now drenched with blood.

"Why isn't Lady Yukari taking care of this? She could easily kill the humans and fix this."

Ran sighed. "That's because Yukari believes in a thing called _laissez-vivre_. To put it in simple words, she believes that, the more she helps Gensokyo, the weakest it becomes. So she takes care of only helping when there's no other way, or where the one causing the incidents are powers from the outside world. In other cases, she's neutral, and, as much as possible, neutral."

"So what's going to happen now?"

"Well, the human who almost killed that horrible miko is dead, so Yukari thinks there's no more danger. She's entrusting the magician to do the clean-up."

"And what do you think, Lady Ran?"

"I'm honestly not sure. There are many things making me believe that there's something else, and Yukari believe that it's nothing really important. Nothing the magician can't fix by herself, anyway. But maybe I'm worrying too much."

"I get it!" And Chen ran off.

Left alone, Ran kept thinking. She finally managed to put the pieces recovered from the man together, creating a gun in the process. What shocked her wasn't the weapon, while strong, it wasn't enough to destroy or even wound a youkai like her. No, the really worrying thing was how easily concealable that thing was. With duct tape, she could easily hide these pieces on her own body, and it would still be extremely dangerous for human. The other thing that bothered her was the fact that this weapon wasn't from the outside world. It was too advanced, even for them. And there was also the problem of the femto-fiber. Namely, the problem of 'how the hell did a human from the outside world managed to get that?!'

The more logical explanation was that the human was an agent of the Moon, but after a brief meeting with the princess Toyohime, Ran was now ready to bet that this lunarian would rather blow up her own city rather than letting a human get in. Not to mention that relying on agents would be dishonorable, and that moon princess came in Gensokyo by herself rather than sending a vassal.

But at the same time, there was still the problem of the-

"I need a blackboard. And a lot of chalk. I need to write that down."


End file.
